Local & Regional

12:26 pm

Wed April 7, 2010

Hammons Re-Elected to Another Term

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) A 21-year-old college student has been elected to a second term as mayor of Muskogee, avoiding a runoff in a four-person race.

John Tyler Hammons won 51.4 percent of the vote on Tuesday in the town of about 38,000 people in eastern Oklahoma. Among those he beat was Bob Coburn, the cousin of U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who received 29.4 percent of the vote. Coburn missed forcing a runoff election by 130 votes.

Chris James and Teresa Garris also ran for the seat.

Among the challenges Hammons is facing is how to deal with the city's $1.8 million budget shortfall. He says he wants to find ways to avoid having city employees take furloughs.

Hammons first was elected in 2008 when he was 19, winning 70 percent of the vote.